1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medicinal composition useful for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and to a method of treatment of PMS.
2. Description of the Prior Art
PMS is a well-known condition that occurs in many women throughout the world. PMS typically involves menstrual cramps, emotional stress and agitation, bloating, and an abnormal amount of menstrual discharge in women for an abnormal duration of time. PMS varies from mild discomfort and emotional problems to complete physical disability. PMS is thought to result from a complex interplay of hormone, imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, and psychological factors. Possible theories of the cause of PMS include a vitamin B6 deficiency, hypoglycemia, hormonal allergy, or a psychosomatic problem.
Almost every woman suffers from PMS at one time or another in her reproductive lifetime. It is estimated that over sixty-seven percent of all women experience significant symptoms of PMS for which they seek some type of intervention. It is further estimated that over thirty-three percent of all women have had medical treatment for PMS sometime in their lives.
The multiple remedies heretofore available to treat PMS simply do not offer relief from that condition. PMS has been the reported cause of discomfort leading to loss of work or school in many women, and has been listed as a significant problem in the offices of a great many gynecologists.
PMS can affect any menstruating woman before and/or during and after her monthly cycle. The presence of PMS creates a variety of physical and psychological complaints. Some of the most common complaints are lower abdominal cramping, bloating, gastrointestinal dysfunction, sleep disturbance, irritability, and depression. No particular pathological process has been found to be the cause of these complaints. It is thought that some women have PMS at various times in their lives as a result of a combination of events or conditions. Until now there has been no single method of treatment that has been developed to effectively combat these symptoms. Thus far, no conventional form of intervention has been proven to show significant success in ameliorating PMS.
In one broad aspect, the present invention may be considered to be a medicinal composition comprising between about 0.5 grams and about one hundred grams of an extract of Asparagus racemosus. The active component of the Asparagus racemosus extract is saponin glucoside (A4), which constitutes about five percent of the Asparagus racemosus extract by weight. However, saponin glucoside (A4) can also be found in other substances. The foregoing suffix (A4) means that the asparagoside is sarsasapogenin glucoside and that there are four glucoside radicals in the molecules of the saponin glucoside employed. Consequently, in another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be a medicinal composition comprising between about twenty-five milligrams and about five grams of saponin glucoside (A4).
In another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be a method of treating premenstrual syndrome in a human female comprising administering to said human female between about 0.5 grams and about one hundred grams of an extract of Asparagus racemosus. 
According to the present invention, a medicinal composition has been found that is very effective in treating PMS, even in the most severe cases of that condition. The composition of the invention is an aryuvedic herbal formula based upon a combination of extracts of Asparagus racemosus willd (liliaceae) root about eighty-five percent, Withania sominifera about five percent, Pedalium murex about five percent and Tinospera cordifolia about five percent. The foregoing percentages are percentages by weight. Asparagus racemosus is in under-shrub which climbs up to between about one and three yards high. It has a stout and creeping rootstock. The powder obtained from the tuberous roots of this plant is a light yellow in color and contains saponins, alkaloids, proteins, starch, tannin, mucilage, and diosgenin. One of the glucosides found in the roots is saponin glucoside (A4). In laboratory animals studies, an alcoholic extract of the root containing saponin glucoside (A4) was shown to produce a specific and competitive block of the pitocin induced contraction and spontaneous uterine motility.
The medicinal composition of the invention is a natural, herbal-based dietary supplement that has effectively reduced, and in some cases, completely eliminated PMS from symptomatic women. A small study of 13 women who had previously suffered severe conditions of PMS was conducted to document the effectiveness of the composition of the invention. Even though the study group was small, the extent of decline of symptoms and the consistency of the effects of administration of the composition of the invention was significant. Although this was not a placebo controlled study, the results are significant in that all study subjects had similar positive responses. A listing of the patients in the sample by number and corresponding age appears in tabular form as Table 1.
In Table 1 the second column labeled BCP Use indicates whether or not the patient was using birth control pills. The third, labeled Duration PMS, indicates in years the duration of the patient""s PMS symptoms. The fifth column labeled Menarche indicates the patients age in years at the time of first menstruation. The last column labeled G/P stands for Gravida/Pera, the first number of which indicates the number of times the patient had been pregnant, and the second number of which indicates the number of live birth deliveries by the patient.
The group studied and indicated in Table 1 consisted of women who had consistently experienced sustained and severe symptoms of PMS that required medical intervention. These conditions were reported by the participants themselves. Severe PMS was defined as PMS that caused symptoms occurring more than 50 percent of menstrual cycles during the past 12 months. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire prior to their entrance to the study. This questionnaire requested the participants to numerically rate the various aspects of PMS that they had experienced in the past, with the number ten being highest and the number one being lowest. A zero value would indicate an absence of a symptom altogether. The results of the questionnaires and the average for each aspect of PMS among the participants is set forth in the following Table 2.
The potential side effects of the study were discussed with the participants and, following their consent, they were entered into a voluntary three-month trial. Participants were advised that they could not continue to take either prescription drugs or over-the-counter preparations for PMS during the study. All participants, were cautioned to avoid pregnancy during the trial and that they would be terminated from the study should they become pregnant during the trial.
All participants took two capsules of the preferred formulation of the composition of the invention on the first day that they noticed symptoms usually associated with their history of PMS. Each capsule contained 0.5 grams of the preferred formulation of the invention, which is comprised of an extract of Asparagus racemosus, and preferably other herbs as well. The participants continued to take two capsules, three times daily for four to six days depending on how soon their PMS systems were resolved. They ceased taking the composition of the invention as their symptoms abated, or after six days, whichever came first. At the end of each cycle they were given the same questionnaire as before and again asked to rate the aspects of PMS that they had just experienced during the previous cycle while taking the medication of the invention. The results and averages from these questionnaires for the first, second and third cycles of the study are set forth as follows in Tables 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
All of the participants who entered the study completed three menstrual cycles while taking the composition of the invention. There were no noticed or reported side effects, adverse reactions, or allergic reactions. All participants reported consistent, positive responses during the trial period, as is evident from Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5. The average score of PMS symptoms was plotted against time. The results revealed significant decreases in the reported complaints over the three-month period of study, as indicated in the accompanying drawing figures.